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Alaska ~ Nome Specialities

June 03, 2020 to June 10, 2020 — 7 days

Many specialty birds found in Western Alaska and nowhere else in North America. Some of these birds include Eastern Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Bluethroat, Northern Wheatear, Arctic Warbler, Bristle-thighed Curlew, Arctic Loon, etc.

See shorebirds such as Pacific Golden-Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwits on their tundra breeding grounds.

Stunning birds like Common and King eiders, Long-tailed Ducks, Long-tailed Jaegers, Willow Ptarmigans and much more offer up excellent photographic opportunities.

In addition to the birds, we will be on the lookout for mammals that could include caribou, Grizzly Bear and Muskoxen.

Breathtaking tundra and Bering Sea scenery.

This is western Alaska and we have a good chance at finding or seeing a very rare bird or two, as Siberian vagrants are somewhat regular here.

Tour Details

Alaska is the 'final frontier' for many North American birders, and it is a must-visit place for anyone who wants to see an array of birds found virtually nowhere else on the continent. From Nome, an excellent home base to use for our explorations, we will make day trips out into the tundra, wetlands and boreal forests where we hope to find exciting birds, as well as iconic northern mammals like Muskoxen, Grizzly Bear and Arctic Fox. Our travels will take us to various locations in this Bering Sea region where some of the target birds we will look for include Eastern Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Arctic Warbler, Bluethroat, Northern Wheatear, Bristle-thighed Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Arctic Loon, Emperor Goose, Aleutian Tern, and so much more. Raptors enthusiasts will appreciate the sightings of Gyrfalcons, Northern Goshawk and Short-eared Owl. Waterfowl enthusiasts will love the Spectacled, King and Common eiders, Harlequin Ducks and Long-tailed Ducks. Rarities often turn up in Nome, and we'll be on the lookout for them. With any luck, perhaps we'll spot the rare Ross's or Ivory gull, or perhaps some sort of Siberian vagrant as many have occurred in this area over the years. No matter what, this will be an exciting and action packed tour to one of North America's more remote and prized birding destinations.

Day 1 - Arrival in Nome today. Dinner together this evening as a group.

Day 2 - We will begin at East End Park to view breeding Long-tailed Ducks, Red-throated Loons, Red-necked Phalaropes and Mew Gulls. Great stop for photo opps of these breeding birds that most of us don't see very often. The shrubs around the ponds are littered with singing Gray-cheeked Thrushes and Yellow Warblers.

We will then continue on by driving the Council Road, stopping at the Nome River Bridge to view Aleutian Terns up close and personal as they fish in front of us. We will continue to the Safety Sound Bridge, all the while making stops to look at breeding and displaying Semipalmated Sandpipers and Lapland Longspurs. Before we get to the Safety Sound Bridge we will stop at Hastings Creek where we hope to see a breeding pair of Eastern Yellow Wagtails, as well as a Bank Swallow colony. We will look for any rarities like Spectacled Eider and Red-necked Stint that tend to show up here. Muskoxen frequent this area and with luck we'll see these iconic Arctic mammals.

As we depart we will make our next stop at Cape Nome, where we will see Thick-billed Murres, Pacific Loons, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Possible Black Guillemots. We will scope here for Horned and Tufted puffins as well.

Once we arrive at the Safety Sound Bridge we will scope from the bridge for King Eiders, Spectacled Eiders and for possible Ross’s and Ivory gulls. If Ross’s or Ivory Gulls show up in Nome this is the place. We should see Rock Sandpiper here among the shorebird flocks and many Black-legged Kittiwakes. Tundra Swans congregate in the nearby streams and Common Eiders dot the shore. With any luck, an Emperor Goose will be seen as well. We will also scan the waters for all 5 species of North American loon, including Yellow-billed and Arctic loons, which can be found from this spot.

As we continue on to the town of Council we will look at an active Golden Eagle nest, see many Rough-legged Hawks, and look for boreal birds as the elevation changes and we go from tundra to coniferous trees. We will stop at the summit to view breeding Semipalmated Plovers and Northern Wheatears and more Muskox. We could see Grizzly Bears, Arctic and Red foxes and Moose along the way as well. When we eventually arrive to the town of Council after 50km on the road we will have had good chances to see Northern Hawk Owl, Boreal Chickadee, White-winged Crossbill, Canada Jay, Rusty Blackbird, and Northern Shrikes that sing on territory.

We will come back to our hotel and rest before dinner.

For those who are energetic after a rest we will meet up for some twilight birding. This is the land of perpetual light so there is daylight at even one am for those who like photography some of the best light is between 12-3 am. For those who want to join me we will go out at midnight to photograph Long-tailed Jaegers, Whimbrel , Willow Ptarmigan and Lapland Longspurs that nest less than 2 km from the hotel in beautiful arctic tundra.

Day 3 - We will have a later start the next morning after having breakfast at the Polar Cafe and will drive to the town of Teller via Teller Rd. On the way to Teller Rd we will stop along the roadside and will look for Gyrfalcon and hunting Short-eared Owl. We will stop at a small creek where Arctic Terns nest.

We will also stop in a boulder field near Woolley Lagoon Rd where we will search for Northern Wheatears singing and displaying as they vie for the female’s attention. These amazing birds fly all the way from their wintering grounds in Africa.

Along Teller Road, we will stop at view breeding Pacific Golden-Plovers and Long-tailed Jaegers. On small ponds in this area we will look for breeding Bar-tailed Godwits, as well as Whimbrels and Red-necked Phalaropes on the small ponds. We will also see Rock Ptarmigan and Willow Ptarmigan in several spots along the road. Once we arrive to the Inupiat village of Teller, after driving 72 miles, we will go to the local Cemetary where we will see a breeding pair of 'black-backed' White Wagtails. We will next Visit the sewage lagoons for more birds and will scope for seabirds from the beach and have a nice lunch in town before heading back for rest before dinner in Nome.

Day 4 - On the next day we will be up at 6 am to leave at 7am with our packed breakfast and head out to Coffee Dome for a hike to see the Bristle-thighed Curlew up mile 72. You must get to the curlews early morning before they disperse. Please wear sturdy shoes for this uphill hike we will take it slow and bird on our way up. We should see breeding plumaged American Golden-Plovers, Willow and Rock Ptarmigan, Whimbrel, Lapland Longspurs and Common and Hoary redpolls. When we get to the top of Coffee Dome Mtn we will have spectacular views of the Kugliak Mountain range and should see see and hear the Bristle-thighed Curlews singing.

We will descend and travel back slowly birding the Kougarok Rd. We should see Wandering Tattlers, Northern Waterthrush, Blackpoll and Wilson’s warblers, and Fox Sparrow. We will stop at Salmon Lake where we will have lunch and search for the sought after Bluethroat . If we dip here we will stop at KM 27 where we should see several. We will stop at KM 21 to look in the willows for the beautiful singing old world warbler, the much desired Arctic Warbler!

Dinner back in Nome.

Day 5 - The next morning, after breakfast, we will bird the town and airport ponds for waterfowl. We will stop in the harbour where we will see many Sabine’s Gulls, up close Arctic Terns, Black-legged Kittiwakes and we will see Spotted Seals hunting fish. We will be looking for passerines like White Wagtail, 'slate-colored' Fox Sparrow, and American Tree Sparrows. Next we will be birding the nearby local ponds at East End Park for breeding shorebirds and loons. We will look at many beautiful Glaucous and Slaty-backed gulls around towns.

We will head to the Nome River Mouth where we will look for terns, gulls and shorebirds, and we will watch Inupiat locals fish off the sandbars.

Next we will head to the Safety Sound Bridge on the Council Rd to look for more rarities. We will stop and look at the old railway line and the famous train to nowhere which is now a monument. We will look at old historic dredgers too. We should see Aleutian Terns, Common Eiders, Tundra Swans, several different loon species and have more chances at seeing Emperor Geese and Brant. After a nice day of relaxed birding and photography we will have dinner and take it easy.

Day 6 - Today we will be birding the Kougarok Rd we will look for warblers and passerines and look for Eastern Yellow Wagtails. We will drive right to the end of Kougarok Rd at the Kougarok Bridge which ends shy of the town of Taylor (only accessible by ATV) and have stunning views of the Kugliak Mtns as we go through very diverse habitats from arctic tundras to deciduous trees. We will do our best to find an active Northern Goshawk, Rough-legged and Gyrfalcon nest on this road. We should also run into Greater White-fronted Geese and many passerines as well.

By the Kuzitrin River bridge we should see Alder Flycatcher and Say’s Phoebes and nesting Red-necked Grebes.

Day 7 - The next day we will search along Teller Rd we will go up Anvil Mtn and see Rock Ptarmigan up close and other higher elevation species like American Pipit and Horned Larks. We will look at House Rock where we should see nesting Gyrlfacons. We should see many Muskoxen and caribou today and will be on the lookout for Snowy Owls hunting in the tundra. We should see many Harlequin Ducks and Common Mergansers at the Snake RIver Bridge. We will take the Dexter Bypass Rd and end up back on the Kougarok Rd and have lunch once again at Salmon Lake where we should see Bluethroats and Hoary Redpolls just to name a few. After dinner in Nome, anyone who wants to go birding this evening can join us.

Day 8 - Tour ends this morning after breakfast. If there is any time for birding before our flights we can do that.

Tour Price:

$6500 CAD, based on double occupancy. $1600 single room supplement. Single supplement reflects high cost of accommodation in Nome. $1500 deposit required to hold space on tour.

Tour begins in Nome on June 3. Accommodations are included from June 3 to June 9. Meals are included, beginning dinner on June 3 and ending breakfast on June 10. We provide drinking water also. Transportation via passenger van included. Checklist of species possible on tour will be mailed out to customers in the months leading up to the trip. Personal items not included in tour price such as hotel laundry services, hotel room service, hotel phone calls and alcholic beverages. If hotel does not provide free internet, customer pays for internet purchase during stay.

Weather and What to Bring:

The Bering Sea region in June can produce a range of weather conditions, but be prepared for cool and wet weather. You will want to bring warm clothing, including wooly hat, warm winter jacket, insulated pants, gloves and warm boots along on this trip. Rubber boots are also recommended. For hikes you will want a good pair of hiking boots. We expect to encounter some rain so you may want to bring along waterproof clothing as well. There is a chance that we will enjoy some warmer, sunny weather too, so bring some lighter clothing just in case. Short-sleeved shirts and shorts are probably not practicle because of insects. Bring along insect repellent and an insect net in case of bad bugs. As far as birding gear, don't forget your binoculars, scope, camera and memory cards, scope and field guide! Your guides will have a scope available if you do not with to bring one with you.

Pace of Tour:

Expect an action packed tour with early morning starts and rather long days. Any evening outings, after dinner, are optional. Typically we will have breakfast either in Nome at a restaurant or we will take breakfast out into the field with us. Lunch, most of the time, will be taken with us for the day and eaten 'picnic style' in the field. Dinners will be taken at a local restaurant as a group. At dinner time we will go over our bird list for the day. Most of the birding is fairly easy and not too strenuous, however one or two longer hikes may not be suitable for those with limited mobility, so they could 'sit out' these walks if they wish.